Banana Bread

Banana Bread

My father in law once asked me why I had two black bananas sitting on the bench and he was astounded to find out that’s what the secret to a good banana bread is.

I love eating bananas but I always end up with extras sitting in the bowl that go soft (subconsciously, I think I’m just giving myself a reason to make banana bread).

This banana bread is just the right amount of sweetness and you can play around with the amount of sugar but my recipes usually err on the side of less anyway. The bread (or should I just really call it cake?) stays moist because of the olive oil and the yoghurt. I’ve made this for my lactose intolerant sister by using a lactose free yoghurt and if you don’t have a sister who’s also allergic to nuts, feel free to throw in a cup of chopped toasted walnuts.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana (approx. 2 large very ripe bananas)
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1.5 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Optional: 1 banana, cut in half lengthwise to add to the top of the banana bread.

Note: Instead of half cup of caster sugar you can substitute for half a cup of honey but you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour to ensure a thick enough batter to support the banana halves.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (conventional oven). Grease a loaf pan with butter.

Whisk together the olive oil and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, yoghurt, vanilla extract and mashed banana to the bowl and whisk everything together.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients whilst gently whisking the mixture. Stop as soon as the flour is just incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and if you’re decorating with the banana halves, lay them on top of the mixture.

Bake the banana bread in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed on and a toothpick comes out clean. If the banana bread is browning too quickly, cover the top with foil.

Allow the banana bread to cool on a rack (but if you can’t wait, it’s good when eaten warm!)

If the banana halves looks a bit sad on the top, I like to brush it with a bit of honey water (literally a bit of honey dissolved in a little water) once the banana bread is out of the oven.